An afternoon in the sunshine

September 18, 2010

After the rain stops, September is the most beautiful month of the year in Lithuania. Temperatures are normally in the high 60′s in the sun, the skies as blue as Christmas Day in Aspen. The trees begin to turn yellow, orange and red, so that even the slightest breeze has them sparkling in the sunlight. It also turns out, that despite how small Vilnius is, it actually is possible to spend all afternoon people watching and not see a single person you know.

On such a day, I love to fill my backpack with my book, a couple of notebooks, my newest Harper’s and my journal, and set out to find a nice table in the sunshine to pass the afternoon. In my early days in Vilnius, I loved to sit at Presto on Pilies gatvė, where I would test how long they would let me sit before wanting to clear the table for the next customers. It was usually a pretty long time; two hours and two pots of jasmine flavored green tea later, I still had to ask for the saskaita (check). Presto is long gone now, but there are many other places to people watch over a pot of freshly brewed tea or a hot, steaming latte. I especially like Ponių Laimė, Pilies Kepyklelė and the gourmet food shop that makes great hot chocolates on Gedimino prospektas, across from Gedimino 9.

Needing to stretch my legs, I got out my camera and leisurely made my way across Cathedral Square, where the night before I took in the second half of Puccini’s Toska and an excellent fireworks display. Past the National Museum and towards the river, across the grass and back to Gedimino  prospektas where they were having an arts and crafts show that felt like being back on the Pearl St. Mall in Boulder. To celebrate the fabulous bobo vasara (Indian summer) we’re having, I bought saškykas and what looks like a hot corn dish, but is actually virti žirniai su kepta karštai rūkyta šonine (boiled yellow peas with hot bacon). The sašklykas, which is simply in American terms, pork kebabs without the vegetables, was excellent. Every last bite literally melted in my mouth. I was thinking of my brother Jason the whole time. He would love this. He spent three months living with me in Vilnius in the winter, but the summer is a whole different experience. After I ate, I I sat on a bench for nearly an hour, just enjoying the sun and watching an old man dressed in a clean but rumpled suit eat kepta duona (fried bread) he picked up off the ground.

Late afternoon began to roll into evening, so I made my way back up Pilies gatvė, walking down Vokiečių gatvė and back again to the Rotušė (town hall) where I found a table in the sun and wrote in my journal. As the days get rapidly shorter—the sunset is now before 7:30—you can feel the season standing on the threshold of winter. But as long as the sun continues to shine, I’ll put on a sweater and sit outside. Of course, living in Lithuania, there are things we miss (mountains, Whole Foods, and good customer service), but on days like today, it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else.

Filed under: Daily Life,Food & Drink,Lithuania,Traveler Tips

Tags: afternoon, cafe, coffee, entertainment, fall, food, Lithuania, Lithuanian, one way ticket, one way tkt, onewayticket, onewaytkt, restaurant, September, sunshine, tips, traditional, Vilnius